CAREER Grant Award: Prof. Hua Cai

CAREER Grant Award: Prof. Hua Cai

Professor Hua Cai
Professor Hua Cai
Dr. Cai received the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from National Science Foundation to advance life cycle assessment methods.

The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award is NSF’s “most prestigious award in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations”. This award will support Dr. Cai's research on developing Risk Modified Life Cycle Assessment methods.

Life-cycle assessment is used to evaluate the environmental impacts of a product or service. This could include harvesting and transport of raw materials, the emissions or polutants released from manufacturing, transport in the supply chain, use, and even during the disposal or recycling of a product. Life-cycle assessments are used to guide product design and policy decisions.

Dr. Cai's work aims to develop the database and tools to incorporate risk considerations into the LCA framework. The proposed Risk-Modified Life Cycle Assessment (RM-LCA) is transformative and timely, as our society is facing increasing risks from hazardous events such as extreme weather, natural disasters, and cyber-attacks, which could divert our systems from the "normal operation conditions" and cause unintended substance release incidents. This project will lay the groundwork for more holistic environmental assessment methods to better support decision making and help avoid unintended negative consequences, leading to more sustainable development solutions at lower economic, environmental, and social costs to our society.